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TOKYO SHOW UPDATE: Expect a production trim version of the CR-Z to appear at the 2010 Detroit auto show, with U.S. sales on track for a late 2010 launch.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Combining a potent cocktail of styling hints from the Insight, Odyssey and Civic Type R, the production-ready Honda CR-Z 2009 concept’s stunning lines will take center stage at Honda‘s stand when the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show opens on October 21.

Slated for a February 2010 launch in Japan and later that year in the U.S., the world’s first dedicated sports hybrid coupe employs a 1.5-liter gasoline engine paired to an updated version of Honda’s now well-known IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) system. Upgraded from the Insight’s 41 mpg 1.3 liter unit, one source close to Honda tells that we can expect somewhere around 32-35 U.S. mpg from the new coupe. Helping the front-wheel-drive CR-Z to achieve that kind of mileage will be the hybrid world’s first six-speed manual gearbox, which Honda engineers have fitted to generate the best mileage possible while at the same time injecting more fun into the driving experience of hybrids. And anything that spruces up the thrill factor of piloting a hybrid is welcome news to us.

In fact, with its combination of meaty bottom end torque from the larger 1.5-liter engine and its revised IMA system, all channeled through that six-speed floor-shifter, you can expect some relatively quick getaways from the CR-Z.

To further lower its carbon footprint, Honda is also unveiling the stylish hybrid CR-Z concept and the six-seater Skydeck hybrid minivan, which boasts front scissor-action style doors and third row seats which slide forward and under the second row seats to allow rear access. And just to show that Honda has not forgotten its sporty roots, the company will reveal its latest hot hatch for the Japenese market, the Civic Type R Euro. Yep, you guessed it, it’s designed in Europe. Specifications are sketchy at present, but if the current UK-spec model is any guide, expect the Type R Euro to output around 200 hp from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder paired to a six-speed manual gearbox.

HONDA’S “HELLO” NETWORK AIMS AT LOWERING CO2

At the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens on October 21, Honda has a new vision to reduce its carbon footprint and they are calling it ‘HELLO,’ an acronym for what the company calls its “Honda Electric Mobility Loop.” What it’s basically referring to is an ambitious approach to generate its own electricity and hydrogen using solar battery technology.

Honda says that it’s not much use offering zero emission vehicles like the hydrogen-powered Clarity or the EV-N electric concept if CO2 is emitted in the process of producing the electricity and hydrogen required to drive those vehicles. The company has developed a solar battery powered hydrogen station that uses electricity generated by the solar cells to break down water into its component parts and produce hydrogen. In addition, next-generation ultra-thin solar battery technology requires less energy while reducing C02 in the cell production phase than current solar batteries, and it is this technology that will generate electricity — in the Honda Loop approach — for concepts such as the electric EV-N compact commuter, the EV-Monpal and EV-Cub motorcycle.